5 October 2022 Another great image from my collection of screensavers - Collins Street in 1934, all lit up with the illuminations for the Centenary of Victoria. Considering that at the time the only street lights were nice but not very bright lamps on posts, this must have seemed like a blaze ! Though perhaps … Continue reading Centenary of Victoria 1934 →

7 October 2022 The Premier announced that when they build a new Royal Melbourne Hospital, and a new Womens, in Arden, that the old one would be demolished - but in the middle of an awful lot of additions, the original 1941 building is reasonably intact. It was the biggest most modern hospital in Victoria … Continue reading Royal Melbourne Hospital →

3 August 2022 Amazing house in High Street Prahran next to the old Mechanics Institute. I couldn’t find out anything, so @jdflemington came to the rescue! It was built in 1888, designed by Prockter & Ruck (#EdwinRuck), and described as ‘a modern Queen Anne residence’. It was commissioned by Dr Richard Wallace, a leading homeopathic … Continue reading High Victorian in High Street Prahran →

Repost from 2016: A bit of American Georgian Revival in a #StKilda side street, off Fitzroy Street - which is one of the few places in #Melbourne where stylish #flats were built above shops - until then usually only the shopkeepers lived above the shop. Probably 1930s. Update : it’s 1932, Joseph Plottel (thanks to … Continue reading The Warwick →

Published in Spirit of Progress, Journal for the Art Deco and Modernism Society of Australia, Spring 2016 The T&G Buildings found across Australia and New Zealand are, employing an overused word, literally iconic. The tall square tower, emblazoned with ‘T&G’, topped by that distinctive stepped ziggurat-like capping, creates an easily recognised symbol of the company. … Continue reading All the T&G Buildings →

Young & Jackson’s After they’ve finished the metro station entrance behind Young & Jacksons, the planning allows for a 10-12 storey building (up to the 40m height limit) wrapping right around (with a 6m gap next to the Nicholas Building). I’d much prefer we keep this view of old side walls intact, and allow just … Continue reading Development over CBD metro stations – Young & Jackson’s and City Square →

So the Hoddle Grid Heritage Review has finally been approved by the Minister and gazetted. That’s 121 buildings, and five little precincts. There’s some places that should have been listed long ago, and there are lots of little cute but sometimes rather altered places, and about 50 postwar high rise, some of which are rather … Continue reading Hoddle Grid Heritage Review complete →

I noticed something going on at the front of the Palais the other day- and this is it ! A big change and not sure I like it. Grass and plants and plaza instead of road is great but I would have maybe acknowledged the theatre a bit more - kept a diagonal view from … Continue reading Palais forecourt design →

Blair House, 17 St George’s Road, Toorak; a nice but not exceptional 1936 Georgian Revival design by Hughes & Orme (never heard of them I admit). Recently sold for the second highest price in Melb, $75 mill. Beautiful large gardens. It’s protected by a Heritage Overlay, so should be with us a while yet. Photos … Continue reading Top price in Toorak →

5 January 2021 The exotically named ‘Cairo’, Nicholson Street Fitzroy - a set of ‘bachelor flats’ with those famous cantilevered stairs. Many flats are compact #bedsits, with huge windows mostly facing north, with little balconies, so very light (perhaps too light in summer before the trees grew?). There’s 26 of those, while another 10 are … Continue reading Cairo, Fitzroy →